Hidden Purpose
by MizuneMinamiki
Summary: Gray didn't always wear his scarf... [Edo Gruvia] oneshot


_**The Edolas Fairy Tail members are definitely a bit OOC; forgive me. I'll fix it soon.**_

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As Gray came trotting into the guild the morning after returning from a three-day job, heads turned. He hadn't done anything that he thought would particularly catch their attention, but apparently it was news to see that Gray Surge had added yet _another _layer to his attire – but it wasn't a coat or a new pair of gloves, the usual. For the first time ever, he had a scarf wound around his neck.

Perhaps it only piqued their curiosity because Gray had never worn a scarf before. His layers of coats and thick, dark gloves were the only things he needed to keep himself warm, and even that seemed like too much to a bystander who didn't understand his reason for overdressing. So why add something more? It wasn't like it had gotten any colder – or hotter, for that matter.

Natsu was the first one to make a comment on his best friend's appearance. With an arm slung around Gray's broad shoulders, his free hand gave a light tug to the end of the scarf. "What's with this, huh?" His lips were right next to the dark-haired man's ear, voice loud and bordering on obnoxious.

Gray wanted nothing more than to speak to Juvia, but clearly it would be an obstacle to get over to where she looked over the fliers posted on the job board. Natsu's loud observation caught the attention of everyone else in the guild. With a slightly nervous chuckle, Gray shrugged and answered, "I-I just thought I'd try a little change…"

"Well, I think it looks great," Wendy remarked, hands placed on her wide hips as she tilted her head to the side. Dark blue locks fell over her shoulders, a smile twitching onto her lips. "It's a perfect color on you."

Shooting a glance over at Juvia, whose back was still turned to him, Gray scratched at his hair. "Th-Thanks, but I should really–"

Lucy crossed the room, teeth showing in a cocky grin. As she reached the trio, her eyes glittered with a light of confidence; her hand gripped a clump of the checkered fabric, and she yanked it fiercely enough to pull him free of Natsu's grasp. Stumbling forward and crashing into Lucy, Gray shrieked in protest, awkwardly swatting at her hand in a futile attempt to get her to let go, but the blonde paid his reaction no heed, leaning in with an intense burn in her chocolate gaze.

"You think _this _will make Juvia look at you differently?" Twisting her wrist, Lucy emphasized her words by giving another tug on his new scarf; the fabric was pulled away from his neck. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he waited for her to notice the dark marks dotting his skin.

No one noticed when Juvia craned her neck to look over her shoulder at the group, curious by Gray's shout. Her navy eyes flickered from Gray to Lucy and back again before she turned back to the board and placed her finger on a flier that seemed interesting.

Realization dawned on Natsu in that moment, his eyes widening as his lips parted in a soundless gasp. The pink-haired boy's hand slapped Gray on the back, but he barely felt it from the thick layers of clothing. "Oh! I see! This is an attempt to get Juvia to notice you, isn't it!?"

Lucy gritted her teeth, releasing Gray without a second thought. As he staggered away from her and adjusted his scarf, her fingers curled into a fist which she swiftly pounded against Natsu's head. "I _just _said that, Pinky!"

"S-Sorry!" he squeaked in near terror, raking his fingers through his hair to soothe the bump that would surely appear from her harsh strike. Natsu puffed out his cheeks before cowering behind Gray for protection when she shook her fist threateningly at him.

With an awkward laugh spilling over his lips, Gray made an attempt to slide away from the bickering couple, looking to Wendy in desperation for her to help him somehow. "U-Um, can I please go to talk to J-Juvia-ch–"

"No. I'm not done with you yet." Lucy gripped him by the scarf again, and Gray panicked, his hands coming up to hers and trying to pry himself free.

While the blonde busied herself with keeping Gray in place, Natsu crept a few feet away, timidly looking back over to Lucy, afraid that he would end up meeting her gaze. Just his luck, that was the exact thing to happen; she shouted for him to 'get his pansy ass over here,' and when he tried to shrink away, she made a grab for him, pulling Gray after her like a ragdoll.

Plucking a flier from the job board, Juvia clutched it tightly and turned towards the group while they made a ruckus. Her expression seemed to be one of disinterest with the exception of the one eyebrow arched as she watched Lucy practically throwing Gray around as she wrestled with Natsu, while Wendy attempted to pry Gray free form the blonde's grasp. Sighing heavily at the immature attitudes of her guildmates, Juvia headed for the door, her heels clacking on the ground and catching Gray's attention.

"J-Juvia-chan, wait…!" He struggled to rip himself from Lucy as Juvia left the guild; with Wendy pulling him by the arm, he managed to get free, and scurried away when the two girls began to get into it as well.

[:::]

Warm fingers slipped beneath the soft fabric of the checkered scarf, tugging it gently to remove it from his neck. Having successfully stripped him of the garment, she wrapped it around her own neck and leaned forward to let her lips touch his cheek lightly.

"This was a nice touch…what, you're afraid to let people know?"

He whimpered quietly, a warm sensation crawling over his skin. "Of course not…I just thought you would want it to stay secret, Juvia-chan."

The blunette hummed in thought as she traced her fingertip along a light bruise on his neck, faint teeth-marks barely visible on his fair skin. Her eyes fluttered closed as she lowered her mouth to his throat, her hand tilting his head back. Lips covering a previously untouched spot, she gave a light suck, the action eliciting a soft whimper from the overdressing boy. One hand rested on his shoulder, the other playing with his hair.

"Then I guess it's fine for me to do this…" Trailing off, she ran her tongue over his neck before settling on his pulse, giving the spot a rough suck to leave her mark; she could feel his heartbeat quicken with her actions. Ghosting her lips to another open area over his neck, she nipped sharply, grinning at the hitch of his breath. "But the real question is…how many love bites can Juvia leave that your scarf will cover?"

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_**Just something short and sweet, and yeah, a little out of character, but whatever; I'll try to revise it later.**_

_**(:Mizune**_


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